Sign the Pledge to Protect Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor belongs to all of us, not just to the wealthy. Add your name to help us maintain public access and promote climate resiliency for the People’s Harbor.
Protecting Boston Harbor, The People’s Harbor
Once one of the dirtiest harbors in the country, Boston Harbor is today a national jewel. But now it faces new risks. With private development threatening to wall off the harbor to all but the wealthy, and climate change endangering public health and safety, we must step up to protect Boston Harbor again.
CLF in Action
The public’s right to access Boston Harbor and waterfront land is enshrined in the Public Waterfront Act, also known as Chapter 91. But in recent years, private developers and their political allies have ignored the commitments required under the law, putting the waterfront at risk of becoming an exclusive enclave for the wealthy. At the same time, they have neglected to make new buildings resilient in the face of rising waters and extreme weather caused by climate change.
CLF is committed to protecting Boston Harbor – the People’s Harbor – from these threats. We are moving forward a vision in which the public’s right to access the harbor is secure and new developments advance public safety with climate-prepared structures. This vision not only benefits Boston, but can become a model for Massachusetts, New England, and beyond.
But there’s more work to be done in the courts, in City Hall, and in the halls of the State House. We need friends and supporters to stand with us. Please join our fight by signing our pledge to protect the People’s Harbor today and check out our toolkit for other ways that you can get involved.
What’s at Stake
Boston Harbor is the pride of Boston, loved by residents and visitors alike, something that was hard to imagine in 1983 when CLF began our fight to clean the Harbor’s sewage-filled waters. Over the years, CLF has worked tirelessly to protect the public’s right to access the Harbor as this public blight transformed into a vibrant public resource.
But today, the drive for development and profit is threatening to once again shortchange the city’s sustainable future. Many new proposals sidestep regulations, diminishing public access and failing to account for the worsening impacts. This sets dangerous precedents for future development.
Other coastal communities in Massachusetts and across New England are or soon will face similar development pressures. All residents will face the ravages of climate change if we do not plan for them now. These two crucial strands merge when a rising sea meets an inadequately prepared Boston and begins to restrict access to waterfront areas that should be preserved for the public.
